Suwanee, GA — The SIPLACE team of ASM Assembly Systems has received the "Global Excellence in Operations Award" (GEO Award) for the continuous improvements made in its Munich Headquarters factory and in its global supply chain management processes. The GEO award is part of the highly respected "Factory of the Year" competition in Germany, in which companies are honored each year that set benchmarks in their respective industries by successfully implementing exemplary concepts in management, quality control and production.

The panel was impressed by the highly flexible lean production system for SIPLACE placement machines, with which the company was able to double its machine production and its revenues from 2008 to 2011 with no increase in floor space — by coordinating its operations and applying a pull strategy. Dr. Bernd Schmidt, vice president of A.T. Kearney and the person in charge of running the contest, called the acquisition of the German SIPLACE team by the Asian ASM Group a "perfect marriage". "We are very excited about this great award," said Joerg Cwojdzinski, head of SIPLACE supply chain management. "Our SIPLACE machine factory is a joint project where everyone acts in concert. The GEO award is another incentive to become even better."